Hello everyone! I hope you all are safe and well. I talk a lot about calorie counting here on my website, but I have not actually told you the 411 on how to do it, and why it is so important for weight loss and even maintaining a consistent weight. To remedy this, I will teach this to you all today. This article is long overdue, but let’s start with why I am into calorie counting.

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There are numerous diet pills and weight loss diets available on the Internet that all claim to work, but out of all of them, only two have really successfully worked for me. These two have always been consistent; they are exercise and calorie counting. Many diet pills and diet trends tend to only work for a short period of time, but calorie counting has worked long-term for me; it works for years and the results are consistent and will help you maintain effective weight management.

I am someone who has struggled with my weight my whole life. Being thin or maintaining a consistent weight has never come easy to me; I am just naturally a bigger girl. I have never been super tiny except for when I was very young; it is just not my body type so I have had to struggle with my weight for as long as I can remember.

For a long time, I did modeling work and I was constantly on diets and they were fine for a while, but they never seemed to last as long as I would have liked; it is like how someone will be super skinny for a long time, but then they get tired of going hungry or having to eat the same foods day in and day out, so they eventually stop sticking to their restrictive diet, and they end up gaining weight. People like variety, and the great thing about calorie counting is that it allows for this, which is why I have been able to stick with it long-term. While calorie counting, I can eat sweets and enjoy anything at restaurants as long as I keep a running count of the calories. I can eat fried food, pastries, pizza, and even pasta. The important thing to remember is to keep your daily calorie intake around or under 2,000 calories per day. This means portion control is key, as well as having the right food combinations. Even if I gain weight because of a holiday or lack of exercise, I can still easily lose the weight by going back to exercise and counting calories, so this combination always works and helps me lose weight FAST. Every famous celebrity that you know will swear by some type of routine, and this is the one that I swear by and live by. Calorie counting always works for me, so today, I will share it with you all, and I hope that it will help you lose weight too, and reach your weight loss goals. Here is what you need to know to get started calorie counting. Here is how to do it, and some tips and tricks.

What Is Calorie Counting?

Calorie counting is when you count the number of calories that are in each food item or in your whole meal. Let’s start at the beginning though with a little bit of a recap from physics class. Calories are units of energy. Everything contains energy and energy comes in different forms. There is energy in the form of light, such as solar energy, which is energy from the sun; there is energy in the form of action and mobility; there is electrical and chemical energy in the form of electricity, electrical appliances, batteries, gas, and oil. Even stones and rocks contain energy. When an object contains energy that is based on its height above Earth or on the earth, it is called gravitational energy. Gravity is strong and it weighs down on everything and everyone on Earth.

When it comes to food, it also contains energy, which becomes units of heat for our body and gives us energy. So if you are cold, feeling tired, or have little energy, you should eat food. Food contains energy, oxygen, and heat, which will warm your body and vitalize it so that you can stay awake and do work. While doing things and staying awake, your body slowly uses up its stored energy, which will need to be replenished with another meal. How much energy you get from food depends on how many calories it contains. The more calories or the more fattening the food is, the longer you will be full on the food and the heavier it will feel in your body. Since people need to constantly do things throughout the day, whether they are traveling, doing chores, or working, they will constantly need energy and replenish it as the day continues. The way that you replenish energy is by eating, so it is best to eat around 3 to 4 meals a day so that you have properly balanced out your energy for the day over the course of several hours. It is recommended that most people get around 2,000 calories per day; too much more than this, and you will likely see weight gain. Some people can eat more calories per day if they exercise because the exercise revs up the immune system and metabolism, and makes you burn up calories so that you can eat more. For example, someone who exercises at least an hour a day four or five times a week will likely be able to consume 400-500 more calories daily compared to someone who does not exercise at all, or who only exercises once a week.

When dining or eating out, if you want to lose weight, it is best to have less than 2,000 calories per day. For normal weight loss, it is better to have around 1, 950 calories a day. If you want extreme weight loss, it is better to have around 1,450 calories a day. 2000 calories a day is average though, so if you want to maintain your weight, you should aim for 2,000 calories a day or less, depending on your current weight, age, height, how frequently you exercise, and the kind of exercise that you do. To find out exactly how many calories you can consume to lose weight at a normal pace or for fast weight loss based on this information, you will need a calorie calculator. Here is my absolute favorite calorie calculator that will get you started quickly and easily: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

In general, most of you will consume around 2,000 calories per day, or just under that. Given how most people start working in the morning and then they go to bed later at night between 9-10 pm, you are going to need to get energy and eat over the course of 10-12 hours, so three or four meals a day is perfect. If you eat larger meals (meals that contain more calories and which are heavier), then you will need to eat about once every four hours, so that is three meals a day. If you eat smaller meals (meals lower in calories and lighter), then you will likely have four meals a day, so it is best for each meal to be around 500 calories each. If you eat larger meals three times a day, each meal should be around 600 calories.

Of course, there will be those special occasions when you will want to eat out, such as holidays and special events or occasions. What you can do to not go over your calorie limit for the day and to help maintain your weight is to prepare for these special meals by eating denser foods that are lower in calories before dining out or eating your special meal. For example, if I am going out to dinner with friends and I know that I will eat a lot or drink alcohol (which is high in calories), I will eat salads, soups, or meat-based meals throughout the day. I may eat salsa with a chicken breast or make a healthy salad with my own lemon juice salad dressing to keep the calories low. This will make it so that when I do go out to dinner with friends, I know I can eat more freely and not have to worry about having too many calories that day or gaining weight the following day.

Okay, that was a lot of information, and I am sure that you took a lot of notes. So, now that I have explained the basics of how to successfully calorie count, given the most important background information about it, and explained why it is so important for weight loss, I will now move on to teach you my tips and tricks! We will start counting our first meals together!

Tips and Tricks When Starting To Count Calories

When you first start calorie counting, my first tip is to keep a calorie journal. You can buy one of these and write what you eat in it each day, as well as include the number of calories that each meal contained. However, to save time, you can actually download a calorie counter/calorie tracker or diet and exercise app. An app is much easier and faster than writing everything out by hand. The app will also automatically calculate the calories based on what you tell it you ate in each meal, so you do not have to actually look up the calories and calculate them yourself. These apps will even help you maintain a certain diet by offering you meal plans and recipes that fit whatever diet you are on, such as the Paleolithic diet or the ketogenic diet.

There are many calorie counter apps available based on the cell phone that you have. The calorie counter that I used when I first started calorie counting was the Calorie Counter by FatSecret. I liked its simple easy design and the community that it offered. However, you can choose any app that suits your style, interests, and needs. Once you get used to calorie counting and you learn the calories in the foods you consume all the time, you will automatically know how many calories are in each of your meals and it will come second nature to you. It took me about 3-4 months before I no longer needed a calorie counter and I could count the calories on my own in my head instantly within seconds.

Calories In Fruits

Most people who are trying to lose weight who have a sweet tooth like me will eat fruit. Fruit is pretty low-calorie. It is not for everyone though. People who are diabetic can not eat fruit so fruit is more for healthier people and for people who do not have certain health conditions. Not all fruits are the same either, however. Some fruits can be quite high in calories, while others are very low in calories. When you first start calorie counting, I recommend going for the fruits that are lower in calories because it is easier to count them and keep track of them with your meals.

I wrote two articles on the best and worst fruits to eat while dieting. You can find these two articles here:

“Diet and Nutrition: 13 Best Low-Calorie Fruits for Dieting and Weight Loss”
“Diet and Nutrition: 10 High-Calorie Fruits To Avoid for Weight Loss and Effective Dieting”

Some of the lowest-calorie fruits that you can eat are plums, persimmons, passion fruits, lychee, limes, lemons, jujubes, dates, clementines, cherries, cantaloupes, guava, rhubarb, starfruit, tamarinds, and apricots.

Calories In Vegetables

Every weight loss program and diet guru will tell you that vegetables are the way to go. Vegetables are full of nutrients, they are healthy for you, they are low in calories, and they are filling; vegetables are perfect in a lot of ways. Some vegetables are heavier than others though, so you will either have to avoid them all together while dieting or be careful what you eat with them. For example, Japanese wasabi is 184 calories, potatoes are 164 calories, broccoli is 207 calories for a bunch (that is a lot of broccoli though, so you are not likely to eat that much in one meal), cabbage is 227 calories for one whole head, and corn can go up to 562 calories per cup. For higher calorie vegetables, if you pair them with meat like a chicken breast or slices of turkey, then your calorie consumption in one meal will not be too high, and it will be easier to maintain your calorie limit for the day.

When you first start calorie counting, I recommend going for the vegetables with the lowest calories, just like with fruits. The most popular low-calorie vegetables are arugula, asparagus, peppers, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, green beans, kale, mushrooms, okra, radishes, tomatoes, and zucchini.

Calories In Drinks

Drinks that you buy outside, especially frappuccinos and smoothies, can be really high in sugar, which means really high in calories. Anytime that you buy a drink that is sweetened, understand that the calories are going to be high, between 150 to 250 calories a glass. Thus, when you first start calorie counting, or if you are dieting and trying to lose weight, you should try to only drink unsweetened juices, water, unsweet tea, or tea that is half sweet half unsweet. There are also zero-calorie drinks that are made with chemical man-made sweeteners, which will make the drinks very low-calorie, between 15 to 40 calories per 8 oz. glass. However, these sugars are not good for you, so I would limit drinking these; have them occasionally, or limit them to when you are on a very strict diet. When you go on a diet, not being able to have sugar is very hard, so these zero-calorie drinks can be really useful during this time; they really help curb sugar cravings because the drinks taste sweet, but are actually very low in calories.

Calories In Desserts and Sweets

Sugar is high in calories, fattening, and overall bad for you. Unfortunately, desserts tend to contain quite a bit of sugar. Not all desserts are the same, however. American sweets are really bad because we use a lot of bad ingredients in them, such as dyes, unhealthy sweeteners, and a lot of sugar. Asian and foreign desserts on the other hand, can have much less sugar and fewer bad ingredients in them. Foreign desserts tend to be a bit more natural. For example, Turkish desserts will often use a strong flavorful cinnamon powder to sweeten their pastries, instead of adding a lot of extra sugar. Japanese desserts will use healthy natural ingredients like green tea, sesame seeds, cinnamon, water, and other low-calorie ingredients in their sweets. A lot of Asian desserts are also made with skim milk, rather than whole milk, and healthier starches like tapioca and sweet potato starch, instead of corn starch. So, if you want to eat sweets while dieting, you still can, but I recommend avoiding American desserts since they are so sweet and high in sugar and starch. Instead, go for lower-calorie Asian sweets.

Another option is to make your own sweets at home so that you know exactly what goes into them, you can use lower-calorie ingredients, and you will know the exact calorie count. When having sweets, it is best to go for pure powders like cocoa and cinnamon powder; go for non-dairy creamers over dairy creamers; use non-dairy sweeteners like almond milk, coconut creamer, and almond or coconut-based whipped creams. Use water, unsweet tea, or low-fat milk, rather than whole milk, to make ice cream, desserts, and drinks at home.

If there is a special occasion and you really want to enjoy a dessert or pastry, then feel free to have it, but in a small amount/small portion. You can measure the portion using a spoon. While trying to lose weight, I try to have one or two spoonfuls of the dessert, and no more. If you limit the amount that you consume, you can enjoy most sweets and desserts, without worrying about weight gain. For example, go for small sizes of drinks rather than large ones. Rather than eat a whole slice of cake, eat only half of it or a third of it; you can save the rest for later. In general, you can enjoy just about any food, drink, or dessert, as long as you have it in moderation/in small amounts and maintain portion control.

Conclusion

Calorie counting is a great tool that can really benefit you greatly on your weight loss journey. When you pair this with exercise, it becomes so much easier to maintain a consistent weight longer and to continue to lose weight while still eating the kinds of foods that you thought you would never be able to, such as desserts, pizza, pasta, and frappuccinos. Calorie counting is easier to maintain long-term because of its flexibility, so if you have tried many diet fads and had little to no success, or if you only had short-term success followed by weight gain once again, then I highly recommend trying calorie counting.

Lastly, the important thing to remember is that weight management is a daily battle that we all must face in our own way. This battle is long-term and it is something that we must manage until the end of our days. Thus, your diet needs to be consistent in some way, and the ideal diet for you should be one that you can stick with long-term and which will give you results every time. Calorie counting works for me and I love it! I hope it will work for you as well! If you try calorie counting, let me know how it works for you!