Total vs. Net Calories: Does It Matter for Weight Loss?

I'm 41 and have dropped approximately 40 pounds in the last year and a half, but am struggling to drop that final 20-25. The question I've always struggled with is how many calories should I be eating per day in order to see that final weight loss? Should I focus on just total calories in or net calories in/out?

To answer your question about calories, I had my co-author of our upcoming book "Ultimate You" (Rodale, May 11, 2010), naturopathic doctor and fat loss specialist Brooke Kalanick, weigh in:

Simply focusing on calories in/calories out is never the answer -- although in the end we have to burn more than we take in, in order to lose weight. That said, how we get there is not just simple math. First, know that all calories are not created equal. For example, a calorie from a carbohydrate sends a message of storage to your body via the hormone insulin. A calorie from protein for example sends a smaller message of storage, via insulin, and a big message of "burn more calories" to your body via glucagon.

The next mindset we have to change is from the idea of mere "weight loss" to "fat loss" -- that's what we're really all after, right? To encourage fat loss -- which will lean you up, show some nice definition and overall make you 'smaller" without sacrificing lean muscle tissue (which is what burns your calories by the way, so hang on to it!) -- you have to send the right messages to your body, through your hormones.

Ensure you diet is full of plant based, veggie fiber -- meaning at least one cup of non-starchy veggies at every meal (i.e. leafy greens, cucumber, asparagus, kale, mushrooms, broccoli, etc). Next, ensure you are eating a full size of protein at every meal and a smaller serving at every snack, try four ounces per meal and two ounces per snack to start. Have a bit of healthy fat at each meal, such as 1 tablespoon of olive oil, one-quarter cup nuts or half an avocado. Next, keep your carbs in check. If you have a lot of fat to lose stick to one-third cup, or four bites per meal, and skip at your snacks.

If you do not have as much fat to lose, you can play with half a cup or six bites of carbs per meal. Choose optimal carbs as often as you can, meaning non grain based, high fiber starches such as sweet potato, pumpkin, winter squashes or legumes. Other allowable choices include sprouted grain bread, oat brain or steel cut oats, or high fiber crackers such as WASA, GG Crispbread or FiberRich. If you are still not losing, cut the carb serving and from breakfast, add a bit more healthy fat to that meal and see how that goes.

This diet above will keep you sending less of a store fat message, and more of a fat burning one. Be sure to stick to your nutrition plan 90 percent of the time to lose weight, giving yourself one meal per week to indulge. In our upcoming book, "Ultimate You," you'll learn how to how to send these fat burning versus fat storing messages to your body and how to customize your diet as well as how to implement a wide variety of recovery techniques for easier and quicker fat loss.

As for your training program, I would say that you may want to consider cutting back on your training volume and perhaps only perform a Cross Fit style workout three days a week. If you are performing total body resistance training five days a week (i.e. Cross Fit), you are not giving your body any time to recover. It is during the recovery process that your body's musculoskeletal, nervous and hormonal systems are able to regenerate. Also, try adding in some recovery techniques such as massage therapy, foam rolling and/or sauna therapy to enhance this process.

As the calorie-in calorie-out conundrum continues, find out whether the elliptical or the stairmaster is best for butt-toning.