I am writing this article to hopefully raise a little awareness and maybe save someone from falling into one of the fad diets that seem to be everywhere. I fell victim to them too.

Intermittent fasting. Cutting carbs. Trying different ways of eating because I thought there had to be some secret to losing weight and staying in shape.

Then I decided to actually educate myself and learn more about how it all works.

One of the biggest things I learned was actually one of the simplest. Calories in versus calories out.

I’m not trying to over-explain this to anyone who already understands it. But I also know there are people reading this who may not, because I sure didn’t for a long time.

At the most basic level, if you consistently burn more calories than you consume, you are in a calorie deficit and will generally lose weight over time.

If you consistently consume more calories than you burn, you are in a calorie surplus and will generally gain weight over time.

Obviously, there are a lot of things that go into being healthy beyond just calories. But when we’re talking specifically about gaining or losing body weight, understanding energy balance is a great place to start.

People will sometimes ask me, “How the heck do you eat that and not get fat?”

Because I account for it.

You don’t have to completely eliminate every food you enjoy.

If you understand roughly how much you’re eating and fit those foods into your overall diet, you can enjoy things in moderation while still working toward your goals.

Here’s an extreme example. One I definitely do not recommend. But, if someone ate nothing but honey buns while consistently staying in a calorie deficit, they could still lose weight.

Would that person be eating a nutritious diet? Absolutely not. Would they feel terrible? Probably.

That’s because losing weight and eating healthy aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Calories matter for your weight. But what those calories are made up of matters for your health, how you feel, and how your body performs.

So, you may be asking — because I sure did — if calories are the only factor why does it matter what we eat?

That’s where nutrition comes in.

Over time, I started learning about macronutrients, or macros.

Protein. Carbohydrates. Fats.

And despite what you may have heard, CARBS ARE NOT BAD.

Carbs are fuel. They provide your body with energy to get through your day, your workout, your run, or whatever else you are asking your body to do.

Can you eat too many of them? Of course. But that doesn’t make carbs bad. It just means, like everything else, you need to understand how much you’re eating.

Then we get to my personal favorite. PROTEIN. I love me some protein.

If you’re like me and enjoy eating, lean protein sources can give you a lot of food without piling on a ton of calories.

Then we have fats. Again, fat isn’t automatically bad either. Our bodies actually need fat. The key, once again, is moderation.

That’s probably the biggest way my thinking about food has changed. I don’t really like looking at foods as simply “good” or “bad” anymore. I look at food as fuel. How is this going to fuel me today? How will it help me through my workout? How will it help me recover? How will it help me get through everything else I have going on?

And sometimes, yes, the answer might simply be that I really want a piece of pizza. That’s OK too.

It’s about understanding what you’re putting into your body, enjoying things in moderation, and finding a way of eating that you can actually sustain.

So here is my challenge. For the next month, simply pay attention. Pay attention to what you’re eating. Look at the calories and macros in some of the foods you regularly consume. You might be surprised.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31