Recently I overheard the following exchange between two women while waiting at an ATM machine. 

“ I just can’t seem to lose those last five pounds. I go to the gym every day but I pile on those calories at night. I do love my red wine.”

Her companion responded,  “ I know. My downfall is that little saucer of olive oil you get when you go out to eat. I could make a meal out of bread dunked in the oil.”   

Calories can sneak up and add up to pounds not lost or pounds gained. Every one who has struggled to lose weight, and struggled more not to regain it, knows that certain foods or beverages have a way of sneaking in extra calories. Sometimes you don’t even realize how many calories you are getting, especially when the food is healthy.

Take olive oil and red wine. You have all been told that they are good for your heart and your longevity. But your jeans may not appreciate what you are doing for your heart. Just because a food is good for you, it does not mean that it will not add unwanted calories to your diet.  And you cannot justify consuming large quantities of red wine or olive oil by saying to yourself,  “If one glass of wine or bread chunk dunked into olive oil is good, then more is better.”

The real problem is that so many people live such sedentary lives that their bodies do not have the opportunity to burn off many extra calories. The lady who goes to the gym every day is sitting at her computer or in her car for much of the rest of the day. The woman dunking her bread in the olive oil is not working a jackhammer, hauling bricks or moving furniture for a living. So the extra calories taken in as wine or the crumbled cookie or your kid’s left over peanut butter sandwich add up and prevent the body from getting rid of excess weight. Or these extra calories can stealthily and steadily increase weight so that after six months or a year, you find yourself three or four pounds heavier.

The answer is not to start eating like robots with premeasured meals or avoiding eating anything that is not l00% needed for nutrition and health. You can do this for a few weeks but it is not compatible with real life. The answer is to be aware of the caloric cost of what you are eating and drinking. Knowing how many calories are in your glass of wine or that a tablespoon of olive oil is 100 calories (same as for butter) and that the crumbled cookie has the same number of calories as the unbroken one at least gives you the chance to make an informed decision as to whether you want to eat that food or not.

For example, drinking one glass of red wine is fine but if you are drinking more because you are thirsty, drink water instead. Additional consumption of wine or any alcoholic beverage must be seen as a source of unnecessary (no nutrient value) calories. And if you are serious about your weight, you may decide to refrain. If you ate frugally during the day, exercised and know your body can handle extra calories at dinner without any weight problem, then wine, olive oil, dessert, or any other calorie indulgence is fine within moderation.

What it comes down to is following your own personal calorie budget. Many of us splurge once in a while on a purchase of something we really don’t need but want and manage to pay for without breaking the budget. The same is true of eating. There is “give” in the system of calories consumed and calories used. But just as you can be lured into spending too much with the promise that you can buy now and pay latter, you also can be tempted into eating too much without contemplating that your weight will “pay latter.”  Once you work out your own calorie budget, you will find it very easy to stay at the weight you want and indulge in your favorite foods or beverages as well. 

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