Recent studies indicate that most diets yield similar results. It’s really just a matter of counting calories and getting more active. But it’s not just how much you eat, but what you eat that matters.

Calories in, calories out. In theory, sure, it makes sense. To maintain weight, the amount of calories you take in should be equal to the amount of calories, or energy, you expend. If you want to lose weight, the amount of calories you take in should be less than the amount of calories you expend, right? Not entirely. Just ask anyone who has cut their calories well below the recommended intake only to gain weight. Better yet, talk to the person who eats all day long and loses weight.

The key to a healthy weight is in the quality, not quantity of calorie. A calorie is a measurement of energy from proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Protein is primarily found in all meats, poultry and seafood. Carbohydrate is primarily found in vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes and some lower fat dairy. Fat is primarily found in oils, higher fat dairy and nuts.

Compare equal calories

Most foods contain a combination of protein, carbohydrate and fat. For many people, this is where the problem with calorie counting begins. For example, a Double Chocolate Zone® bar contains 210 calories, the same amount as two medium hard boiled eggs and one slice of Ezekiel Sprouted Grain bread. Both contain nearly equal amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat. To the average calorie counter, it’s a fair shake. If they can get the same amount and type of calories in a double chocolate Zone bar as they would a couple of boring eggs and sprouted bread, why not go for something easier and sweeter?

The sweetest thing is not always the best

The Zone bar, albeit sweet and tasty, doesn’t absorb into our body the same way eggs and sprouted bread does. Most of the ingredients in a Zone bar are synthetically created. Our body doesn’t always know what to do with man-made ingredients. When our body doesn’t know how to use these man-made ingredients, they eventually get stored as fat. The eggs and sprouted bread have been minimally processed and contain nothing our body can’t readily use as energy. What’s more, the amount of sugar in the eggs and bread is far less than the Zone bar, which means our energy levels will hold even much longer.

The Zone bar, eggs and sprouted bread are just examples. There are thousands and thousands of foods that are both very good and very bad for our body, and its ability to use energy. Foods today are not what they were 10 or 20 years ago. The longer the shelf life and the more processed a food becomes, the harder it is on our body.

Generally speaking, a person with a 2,000 calorie diet who takes in less refined sugar (carbohydrate) and more good sources of protein and fat will almost always find it easier to maintain a healthy weight than a person on a 2,000 calorie diet who eats overly processed foods containing too much refined sugar.

Take a minute and evaluate your diet. Write out what you ate yesterday. How many refined carbohydrates did you take in? Even if you don’t overeat, failing to get calories from good sources of protein and fat will probably leave you feeling both hungry and lacking energy. Be sure what you put into your body is quality - you will not believe how much better you feel.