Calorie Counting Tips

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

So, one thing most dieters agree on is that keeping a food log, whether you're tracking calories, or Weight Watchers points, or just trying to see what you're eating, is key to figuring out what to improve on. And I think it really opens your eyes to how much you are really eating - sometimes, I will think, i really don't eat that much, why am I not losing weight? But then, when I really write every single thing down, I see where the problems are!

Calories Needed to Maintain Weight:
And the amount of calories needed to maintain even a heavier weight is not that excessive - if you take your weight times 10, thats about the number of calories per day it takes to maintain your weight - so, even to maintain a 200 pound weight, you only have to eat 2000 calories a day. S

Calories Needed to Lose Weight:
And to lose weight, it is often recommended that you eat your current weight times 7. So, if you're 200 pounds, you need to be eating 1400 calories. Granted, these are of course just general recommendations, and will fluctuate depending on your personal activity level.

Places to Track Your Food:
Like I have mentioned, I have an online membership to Weight Watchers, and I have found the only way for me to consistently remember to track my food is to keep the "Points Tracker" open on my laptop so that I have no excuse not to jot something down the moment I eat it - the longer you wait, the more you forget, and probably tend to underestimate what you really ate.

For free services, I think www.fitday.com is great - you can track calories, exercise, nutrients, food groups, etc. - it is awesome! I used it all the time before getting the WW membership (which I mainly got so that I could access their recipes).

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