Good calories aren’t necessarily made up of low-calorie foods, and I’m not talking about living on carrot and celery sticks either. Many good calories come from high-calorie and even high-fat foods. The key is the ratio of calorie count to nutritional value.
  • Good calories are those that provide lean protein, healthy fats and energy-giving carbs from fresh whole foods and quality meal replacements and supplements.
  • Bad calories are those that don’t provide your body with good nutrition. These come from things like processed foods, sugar, refined flours, unhealthy fats and artificial ingredients.

Why Bad Calories Count Twice


Most bad-calorie foods are also high calorie foods, but that’s not the only way they derail your weight loss. Processed, refined and high-sugar foods wreak havoc on the hormones that control weight loss, weight gain, fat metabolism, mood and hunger.

  • Because of this, you can eat a 1000-calorie diet and not only not lose weight but gain it if most of those 1,000 calories are bad calories.


On the other hand, people who eliminate sugar and processed foods from their diet, like the Ship Shape winner Yvonne did, will lose weight even if they’re eating a ton of fresh, whole foods. With a really clean diet you might not even have to count calories at all.


These people will also be getting plenty of protein, ensuring that they don’t lose muscle rather than fat. They eat healthy fats to keep them feeling satisfied and help balance their fat loss and fat storage hormones, and they also eat healthy carbs to keep them from falling prey to fatigue, mood swings and cravings.


Where to Get Your Good Calories


The easiest way to make sure your diet consists of good calories is to eat single-ingredient foods. Nobody eats straight sugar, flour or fat. Eating single-ingredient foods means meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and healthy oils such as olive or coconut oils.


Next, focus on healthy, multi-ingredient choices, such as Greek yogurt, whole or sprouted grains and baked goods and cereals made from them, hearty soups, high-quality meal supplements and so on. These are the foods that constitute the 3-Hour Fat Loss meal plan.


One of the many benefits of eating whole foods and things made from whole foods is that their nutrient density makes them very satisfying and filling. 

  • Roasted veggies with a little olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper are much more satisfying than a side of fries and you can eat much more of them. (Check out our Nutrition Challenge on vegetables if your goal is to get more veggies in your diet.)

What Kind of Calories are You Eating?


If your weight loss diet isn’t getting the results you were hoping for, try this exercise for one week:

  • Get a pad or start a document on your phone or tablet and have a page for each day. 
  • Each page should have two columns: Good Calories and Bad Calories.


Every day, write down every food you eat plus how many calories are in it and put it on one side of the two columns. 

  • You know broiled fish is healthy and you know Twinkies are not. The same of fast food burgers vs. sautéed chicken breast and cola vs. green tea.
  • If you can name at least one important nutrient coming from that food, put it in the good column.
  • If the food is primarily unhealthy fats, sugar or refined flours, put it in the bad column.


At the end of the week, total your week’s worth of good calories and your week’s worth of bad. If the bad calories make up more than a third of your total intake, the answer to your stalled weight loss may be looking you in the face.


It’s not that difficult to eat healthfully. The key is knowing how and what to eat and not depriving yourself of all your favorite foods.

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