CandyD's Balanced Calories Mod  

This mod simply is a must-have for a realistic game play and I was bummed out when I saw that it's not going to be updated neither by CandyD, Ignoral and/or DarkSimister any time soon. So, I updated it for personal use since the release of Island Living.

Now with Discover University being released and still no new update, I thought it's about time to share this awesome mod with ya'll, so you can enjoy it again.

As of December 7, 2019, I only updated the food recipes and not the drinks. It's currently in the works and should be done within the next week. So, be patient.

I recommend that you use this mod with roBurky's Fitness Control mod and change the settings according to her mod description, because she mentions CandyD and what setting to use to imitate her Retuned Metabolism mod. I might look into updating the other mods, but they're not on a high priority list right now as I work on my own mod. More about it soon...

How does the game behave by default ?

In the Sims 4, almost all foods are full of calories. The problem with the game is that it makes all foods have a positive calorie count, like in reality. But in reality, we have a baseline metabolism that burns calories even when we don't exercise, and in the Sims there is no baseline metabolism, so sims that don't workout regularly are condemned to gain weight, more or less quickly, but they can't escape it on long term. Even if they just eat salad !

What does this mod change to the game's behavior ?

As sims should burn very quickly all calories of low calorie meals, some foods have been modified to induce weight loss instead of weight gain : it's the case for salads, as well as dishes made of fruits and vegetables. Grains, lean meats and fish are low calorie. High fat, high sugar, desserts, most quick meals (with the exception of oatmeal and yogurt) and junk foods in general are high calorie. Some gourmet foods are now low calorie or even inducing weight loss ! Your sims can now enjoy some gourmet dishes without guilt ! But beware of cake !
This mod has been designed to force your sims to adopt a diversified diet. Some foods induce weight gain, others induce weight loss, and very few are 0 calorie. This means that your sims have a much lower risk of being overweight, unless if they like junk foods and desserts too much. But if they like only salad, they risk being underweight on long term. Fortunately, they can avoid that by choosing the right balance between high calorie and low calorie foods. If your sims like mac and cheese, they can now enjoy it, and eat a garden salad later to lose the weight gained with mac and cheese. This way, your sims can maintain their weight much more easily than before, with simple and intuitive choices.
Even toddlers can maintain their weight as peas and yogurt will keep them in better health than crackers. And just like adult sims, toddlers need a diversified diet to keep a healthy weight.

How do I install this mod ?

Unzip it. Place the package in your Mods folder. Start the Sims 4 and enable custom content and mods in Game options - Other. Apply changes, quit and restart the Sims 4, and enjoy !
This mod can work alone. However, if you experience other weight and / or muscle issues with sims of all ages, or wish to control your sims' metabolism with more precision, I recommend to download and install the two other parts of the Natural Metabolism mod, for best results.