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Carbs or Calories -Article

Source: HEALTHandFITNESS.com

Summary:

BY: Joann Bally CSCS

The number of calories an individual needs is determined by weight, age, sex, and activity level. (Other possible factors exist and we will address these another time) Thus, not everyone should eat the same amount, if they want to maintain their weight. In general, if you take in more calories than you expend, you will gain weight, and vice versa.
Why are so many people overweight?

Here's an object lesson about calories. Let's say six people go out to lunch together. Who are you most like? (All numbers of calories are approximate)

Who are you most like?

Description	Age	Weight	Daily Calories Needed To Maintain Weight
Male body builder	age 25	210 pounds	3500 calories
You work as a loan officer in a bank and work out 5 times a week	age 25	210 pounds	3500 calories
Male math teacher who runs 40 miles a week	age 45	140 pounds	2500 calories
Retired male, you play golf 3 times a week, using a cart.	age 65	190 pounds	2000 calories
Male lawyer, you work 12 hour days and say you don't have time to exercise.	age 35	170 pounds	2100 calories
Female letter carrier, you work out twice a week at the gym and take long bike rides on Sundays.	age 32	135 pounds	2150 calories
Female accountant you do your own housework and tend to your young child.	age 32	150 pounds	1900 calories

Notice the higher calorie allowances for the the active persons in the above table.

Everybody orders the same lunch. And because you are all descendants of people who went through the Depression and felt waste was sinful, you all eat everything you're served.
Lunch is 2 cups of pasta (carbohydrate) with tomato sauce (carbohydrate) and 4 meatballs (protein), salad (carbohydrate) with ranch dressing (fat and carbohydrates), 2 pieces of garlic bread (fat and carbohydrate), and iced tea with sugar (carbohydrate). It comes to 1287 calories.

More Exercise Increases Caloric Need

Some of you with a little knowledge of nutrition are looking at the composition of the lunch and exclaiming: carbs make you fat! Beware, a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing. It's not carbohydrates that make you fat, it's (too many) calories.

Moral(s): In general, restaurant meals are too big. You don't have to eat everything on your plate. You can eat more if you work out.