SUMMARIZING ACTIVE CALORIES & COUCH POTATO CALORIES

If you don't like counting calories or have trouble following specific diet plans, don't despair!  You can control and maintain your weight by following some simple guidelines when planning your meals.  In the recent past this blog has focused on different types of calories (yes, there are different types!) and how they affect how the body handles them.

Remember the following guidelines when planning your meals (you will find the details on all these recommendations on previous posts on this blog) and let the calories you eat help you maintain your weight.

• You can forget counting calories.
• Eat foods from each of the "Active Calories" lists every day.
• Eat mostly foods from the "chewy" and "hearty" categories.
• Eat at least one "energizing" or "warming" food every day.
• Any snacks should contain at least one "active calorie" food.
• Drink plenty of water; 2 glasses per meal is recommended.  You need the water to prevent digestive problems because of all the protein and fiber you are consuming.

By following these guidelines, you will keep your fat burners active rather than allowing "couch potato" calories to take over and go straight from digestion to fat storage.

Note: Healthy fats such as nut butters, avocados, healthy salad dressings, etc can also boost fat burn.  The key is amount control.  Keep nut butters and salad dressings to around 1 tablespoon.  1/8 of an avocado is the recommended amount.

And don't forget this; beverages count too!  You can destroy a lot of the good you do by eating the right foods if you drink unhealthy beverages.