Sometimes I see inconsistencies between different Food Authorities
about the exact calorie count of a specific food.
I don’t think there is a way to really know which one of them is the most accurate.

It is always important to remember that Calorie Counts are ALL estimates,
even when they are written in books, online, or on menus and food labels.

I don't think it makes much difference which calorie counting source one uses.
Unless the calories are listed on the labels of the foods I use,

I ordinarily use the calorie counts listed in my software food journal, DietPower,
The source of which is a National Base. If it isn't in DietPower,
and I have no food label, there then I look at Calorie King,
or some other online source for a similar type of food.

I am doing the best I can to maintain my current weight,
or lose a few pounds. The idea of calorie counting
is just to do one's best to keep track of one’s food intake.
It is impossible to be totally accurate for a great many reasons.

First, my food measurements might not always be totally accurate,
for example, when I measure out 1/4 cup of dry oatmeal,
I fill a 1/4 cup as full as it goes.
The Oatmeal label says 1/4 cup equals x calories,
but it also says 1/4 cup is x grams...
Weighing out the grams shows that 1/4 cup is Less than full.
It is a very small difference, but these things can make quite a difference over time.

Another thing to be aware of is that the FDA only requires
food labels to be up to 20% accurate.
The reason those weights and measures laws exist
is to make certain the consumer isn’t shortchanged...
that is to make certain he/she gets at least that minimum amount of food.
Almost always, an inaccuracy is going to result in the consumer
getting MORE food ….which means a HIGHER calorie count that the label says.

Furthermore, labels aren't regulated very closely,
and there is a difference in accuracy between companies.
The very large food companies tend to be no more than 20% inaccurate,
but the smaller, mom and pop companies, can easily have up to a 50% error rate.

As a further example, fruit is now bred to be both larger and sweeter
than it used to be, but the calorie counts for fruits haven’t been increased.

What this means is,
no matter how closely one watches one's calories,
one is not going to be PERFECTLY accurate.
However, careful weighing and measuring food, and keeping track
in my food journal gives me the best chance of knowing my calorie number.

Those BMR or RMR numbers given by the charts showing the number of calories
that each of us burns, are based on either the Harris-Benedict or the Mifflin formulas.
These formulas were created from Averages, and are not necessarily accurate
for any one particular individual.

No matter what the Charts say my body's calorie burn rate should be,
if, over time, I gain weight on a specific calorie number,
I have to work to eat less than that calorie number.

Maybe I'm taking in more calories than I know,
Maybe I'm burning less calories than I know,
Bottom line, if...over time... I am gaining weight,
I have to...EAT LESS and move around a bit more.

 
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

6 pieces Asparagus, boiled, drained

Sauce:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 package dry McCormick Hollandaise Sauce Mix
1 cup water

Directions:

Break woody ends off 6 stalks of Asparagus,
and steam for about 4-5 minutes.

Spray non-stick coating on small saucepan
Melt butter in pan
Stir in Sauce mix
Whisk in 1 cup water.
Bring to a boil while stirring continuously
then simmer for about 1 minute until sauce thickens.
2 Tablespoons is 1 serving.

6 stalks of asparagus and 2 TB Hollandaise Sauce =1 serving
1 serving is:

Calories: 70
Carbs: 4.3 grams
Protein 2.4 grams

                              
There are multiple food options available to me
from supermarkets and fast foods and restaurants
and bakeries and the cooking I do at home.

I overbuy, and I overcook.
I've not been able to control these behaviors,
....although God Knows I've tried....
and this makes the issue of Food Storage essential for me.

When I was a child, I frequently heard people say that 
their eyes were bigger than their stomach.
Although, of course, I understood what the saying meant...
some of my overweight and obese relatives clearly had very large stomachs
and generally ate as much as their eyes caused them to put on their plates.
plus more.

Well... that saying  hold true for me.
What I buy and what I cook...
is far more than the amount that should go into my stomach.

Since I haven't been able to control my behavior at the initial level,
...I overbuy and I overcook.,
I've had to address it at the next level..
the level between obtaining the food and ingesting the food.
Storage involves delaying that food ingestion.

My success at weight-loss and at maintenance of that weight-loss
requires that I don't eat everything that I buy or cook.
Sometimes I have to throw food away,
but my preference is to store it away for another eating occasion.

Food Storage is a really big issue in my life,
and making that task into a simple and easy Habit
has become essential for me.

I've addressed my food storage methods in several videos
which are located under Tips & Tricks of my RECIPE section.

Dealing with Leftovers - involves storage of leftover solid foods.
More About Dealing with Leftovers - involves storage of leftover liquid type foods.
Storing Cookies - involves storage of leftover small baked items like cookies, and cookie dough.
The video below demonstrates my technique for storing fruit and cream pies.

                                    
Some people believe that food addiction is more a matter of psychology than of physiology. I find the question interesting.  Are those cravings for sweets and starches REALLY a problem of the mind, or are they problems of the body?

I, myself, have spent a lifetime considering this issue a psychological one.

My personal experience with this involves about 20 years of Therapy while working to overcome that problem,....to no avail.

With professional help, I've dug into my psyche on the "whys"; I've taught myself most of the "hows"...in fact... I've learned and incorporated most all of the various recommended Behavior Modifications.  Numerous "mindful" eating behaviors have become Habits for me.

For many, many years, my pattern has been not to label foods "good" or "bad", but to allow myself to have a little of anything I want, including the occasional sugar-laden dessert.

Those techniques have helped me RESIST the cravings, but they have NOT REDUCED or ELIMINATED the cravings. There are quite a few “Experts” who feel that the term "addiction" is not helpful, when talking about food, and they tend to avoid using it for various reasons.

At this particular moment, I have finally reached the point where I am willing to seriously consider the possibility that these cravings may have a strong physical element,rather than being merely psychological.

I've begun to think that new way, due to my exposure to Good Calories Bad Calories (2007) by Gary Taubes, and his recently released book, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It (2011) which is now featured for discussion here on BOOKTALK.

Perhaps many of us DO have a physical intolerance for certain food substances....  Perhaps the physical tolerance for them varies between individual, just like some people have bodies that are allergic to peanuts... and to varying degrees...., maybe there is something to the Theory about Insulin and Carbohydrates too. 
  I don't know.  

I DO know that psychological treatment won't resolve a physical problem. All the therapy in the world won't let those who have a severe peanut allergy, eat peanuts without side-effects.

This year I began a personal experiment to see what a lengthy Low-Carb commitment will do in my body. I am especially interested to see whether or not a total elimination of sugar and refined grains, and a serious restriction of whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fruit will eliminate or greatly reduce these cravings in my own body. This is a day-by-day experiment...which is being carried out with planned pauses ....and at this point....I don't even know how long I'll be able to stick with that Experiment-of-One

Each of us does the best we can with our own experiences. The same things don't work for everyone.

In my own body, it makes no difference whether it is white sugar, or "natural" sweeteners. MY body treats them all the same way. I am learning that...right now... this seems to be true for me
even with regards to many starches.

In fact, recently I learned that a few weeks of extremely-low-carb eating does reduce my cravings for sugars and starches, however, within 24 hours after having half a cup of Lentils ...(complex natural carbs)... for lunch, all of my sugar cravings returned. And....I've carefully examined my surrounding circumstances...mental state....etc,  and feel fairly certain that this instance was not due to a psychological issues. So…that leads me to believe that there must be some type of physical element involved.

Life goes on.
We all do what we can.
I'm now living as a normal weight person, and I'm willing to keep doing whatever it takes to make that a long-term status.

         
There is a difference between Hunger and Appetite.

Hunger is the "body's call for nourishment".

Appetite is the "desire for gratification of some want, craving, or passion; therefore appetite is eating and drinking for relaxation and pleasure.

But...of course...Cravings and Urges don't ONLY originate in the Body. Some, due to conditioning, originate in the Mind.

The craving for Alcohol by an Alcoholic seems to have a physical element, and these cravings are reduced and even disappear via abstinence. Low-Carbers believe that cravings for carbs--especially refined sugars and starches
have a physical element, and that these cravings are reduced and even disappear via carb-restriction.

 The Low-Carb position is: Insulin is what drives physical Hunger. A reduction of carbohydrates is a reduction of insulin. Therefore, reducing carbs...and thereby reducing insulin... will reduce the physical craving for excess food.

Research studies have proven that the Human body will SURVIVE and THRIVE without carbohydrates. While the Body can USE Carbohydrates, it does not NEED them.

Furthermore, Low-carb eating is only a reduction, not a total elimination, of carbs.  Almost every low-carb plan includes green leafy vegetables, and other low-starch vegetables like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers...and father along, nuts and berries etc., all of which have carbs.

Even those hard-core, zero-carb people get a few carbs from their eggs, cheese, yogurt, trace amounts of onion, garlic and spices for seasoning.

I find it interesting to note that studies clearly show that meat and other animal products contain,
every single vitamin and mineral...except for vitamin C, and in much larger amounts than what is found in fruits and vegetables.

These studies also indicate that eating a high amount of sugar and starch actually DEPLETES the body's vitamin and mineral supply. and that this process actually causes the body to need more of them, including vitamin C.

For example--the famous scurvy that English seamen got which was remedied by eating lemons ..citrus fruit..., only happened to those whose diets were Very High Carb, while the seamen who ate higher protein with few carbs did not suffer from scurvy.

So WHY aren't these dietary facts commonly known and understood? I think this becomes very clear when we are wise enough to..
FOLLOW THE MONEY.  

By the Way, while thinking about APPETITE,you might want to check out my new video Six Cereal, Bars, and Nuts which is posted in the TIDBITS section of  RECEIPES.