Density of Calories Needed to Lose Weight

Calorie density is an alternative to the traditional calories needed to lose weight.  This form of calorie counting was made popular by The Pritikin Principle: The Calorie Density Solution

by Robert Pritkin.  I highly recommend this book if you wish to use calorie density, because it goes into the details of why this works, the research that proves that it works and it gives food plans and recipes.  Here is the short version of how it works:

1. Eat foods that averages less than 400 calories per pound and you will lose weight.  
2. Eat foods that are less than 600 calories per pound to maintain your weight.
3. Eat food between 600 and 900 calories per pound only if you are young and active.
4. Eat food greater than 900 calories and you will gain weight.
5. Do not drink any calories if you want to lose weight. (This includes anything that would be a liquid at room temperature.)

Once you have used this approach for awhile, it becomes easier than the traditional way of  figuring out the calories needed to lose weight, because all you have to remember is what to eat, not how much. That is right.  You can eat as much as you like; you just have to eat foods that are low in calories. With this approach to weight loss you need neither scales nor measuring cups.

If you decide to use this method of counting calories, I have made a chart for you that I feel is even better than the chart  from  Robert Pritkin's book.  This chart took a chart put out by the USDA and  changed the  grams into pounds  and then calculated the calories per pound and then arranged the foods in order of calorie density.  So rather than finding out the calories needed to lose weight  why not check out this printable Food Calorie Chart.