Are you aware about your calories maintenance ? If you want to take control over your life you need to control your calories.
Let's start the journey that will help you become more aware of your eating habits and help to lead a healthy life. If you want to slim down, get muscular, and burn calories, tracking your intake can set you in the right direction.
For the fresh users of the system, the procedure can be quite scary. Lets know about How do you start? What tools do you need? How do you do calorie counting ?
In this guide, we will know all about counting calories, step by step. Let’s dive in.
What Are Calories?
Calorie is a unit of energy. When you eat food, your body converts the calories. Calories are stored energy that drives the very life-sustaining processes. The balance between calorie intake and calorie extract helps to maintain weight.
The calories you eat compared to the calories you burn decide if you stay the same weight, gain, or lose weight.
Let's make it simple for understanding!
If you consume more calories than you expend, the extra energy is stored by the body as fat, which then turns into weight gain. Suppose you eat 100 calories and your body has burned 90 calories now extra 10 calories will be stored as fat. So, we need to be aware about this
If you eat fewer calories than you burn: Your body uses stored fat for energy, resulting in weight loss. Suppose you eat 50 calories and your body has burned 70 calories now a shortage of 10 calories has been created . This shortage will be fulfilled by stored fat.
If you eat the same number of calories you burn: Your weight stays the same.
Why should you Count Calories?
People do not know the number of calories they intake in a day. With increasing portion sizes and hidden calories within drinks, sauces, and snacks, it's easy to consume more than one realizes. Counting calories keeps one mindful of what is being consumed. It will help to make it easier to achieve your desired health goals.
Some key benefits of counting calories include:
- Awareness: You become aware of your food intake. Sometimes some foods hide so many calories that result in obesity.
- Food parts control: It helps you to have the capacity to consume the optimal amount of food you need to reach your calorie goals.
- Flexibility: Calorie counting allows you to enjoy your favorite foods. But if you follow a restricted diet then you will miss your favorite foods
- Long-term success: By maintaining calories you can eat everything. It will be beneficial in the future when you are at your aged stage.
Now, let's get started with how to count calories .
Step 1: Determine Your Calorie Needs
First, you need to know how many calories you should be consuming each day. This can vary on different factors like your age, gender, weight, height, and activity level.
A common way to estimate daily calorie needs is by calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is the number of calories your body needs to perform body functions. From there, you can determine your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Calculating Your BMR
Use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR:
This gives you a rough estimate of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. If your goal is to lose weight, subtract 500–1,000 calories per day for a safess weight loss of about 1–2 pounds per week. If you're aiming to gain weight, add 300–500 calories per day.
Step 2: Choose Your Calorie Tracking Method
Don't make it complicated to track your calories . Thanks to technology, plenty of tools make it very easy. Here are a few options:
Calorie counting apps: MyFitnessPal, Lose It! are some of the apps used to count calories. One can input on what food they are taking and the number of calories.
Pen and paper: Write down each meal in the food logbook and its calorie count. This is one of the manual methods for keeping the account of your calorie intake.
Spreadsheets: If you prefer to keep things organized, a spreadsheet can be created for meal and snack logging. All of the spread sheets can have each meal, snack, and beverage logged.
Consistency with whatever method you choose is key. It will prevent cheats, allow you to make changes comfortably.
Step 3: Learn to Read Nutrition Labels
The primary skill for counting calories is to learn how to read nutrition labels on food packages.
This is where all the vital information regarding what you eat comes in. Serving sizes are all there, calories, and contents of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins.
Here’s what to look for:
Serving Size: Always check the serving size first. The calories listed on the label are for that specific part. If you eat more than the serving size, you’ll need to adjust your calorie count according to your serving size. As an example of your chart a piece of 100 gm meat contains 10 mg calories. Now you have taken a piece of 150 gm meat and you count 10 mg calories it will not be the same.
Calories: This tells you how many calories are in one serving. Multiply this number by the number of servings you eat to get the total calories. Count how much time you are consuming food.
Macronutrients: You need to pay attention to the breakdown of carbs, fats, and proteins. This will help you make sure you have a well-balanced diet, not just one that is solely based on calories.
Step 4: Weight and Measure Your Food
Counting calories requires precision. It is so easy to eat more than the serving size or estimate larger portions, hence, consuming more calories than what you perceive.
That’s why using a food scale to weigh your food is one of the best investments you can make.
Here’s how to do it:
Weight your food: Measure your food in grams or ounces for the most accurate calorie count. This is especially important for calorie-dense foods like nuts, oils, and cheese.
Use measuring cups and spoons: For liquids and foods that are difficult to weigh. Like peanut butter or sauces, use measuring cups and spoons.
By measuring your food, you’ll have a clearer picture of exactly how much you’re eating. It helps you stay within your calorie goals.
Step 5: Log Every Single Food and Beverage Consumed
After having set your calorie target with equipment to track it, get down to logging every single food and beverage consumed. It includes:
Meals: From breakfast to dinner, and even snacks in between—every kind of meal should have a count of calories.
Drinks: Drinks are also not to be left behind in the log. Just like coffee with cream and sugar, alcohol, and soft drinks—they are fond of calories.
Condiments and extras: sauces, dressings, oils also contribute to your total calorie. So you must add them in your counting.
Consistency is crucial. The more accurate and consistent you track the better results you will see.
Step 6: Adjust As You Go
As you continue to count calories, you may need to make adjustments based on your progress. Here’s when you might consider tweaking your intake:
Weight plateaus: If you hit a plateau and stop losing weight after a few weeks. It is the time to reduce your calorie intake or increase your activity level.
Changes in activity: Suppose you are not gaining proper weight loss of weight, it is the time to change activity. If you used to walk, now you need to start running.
Reaching your goal: Once you have reached your goal weight, you can increase your calories slowly. Maintain you’re routine unless you find a balance that keeps your weight stable.
Remember, your calorie needs are not set in stone. It is normal for them to change over time as your body, lifestyle, and goals evolve.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Counting Calories
- Guessing Part Sizes
Guessing portions instead of measuring is a common mistake when counting calories. Even a small error in part size can lead to a significant difference in your total calorie intake. Always use a scale or measuring tools for accuracy.
- Forgetting to Log Drinks and Extras
People forget to track small extras like condiments, cooking oils, chips while cooking. These “hidden calories” can add up quickly, so make sure to include everything you consume.
- Focusing Only on Calories, Not Nutrition
While calorie counting is important for weight management, don’t forget about nutrition. Try to eat a diet that’s balanced in macronutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins). And also be aware about vitamins and minerals which are essential for health. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods over processed options.
Final Thoughts about counting calories.
Counting calories is a powerful tool for achieving your health and fitness goals. But counting calories does not have to be stressful or restrictive. Staying consistent, adjusting when needed can help to build a healthy relationship with food.
Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it's progress. If you slip up one day, don’t be too hard on yourself. You can get back on track the next day. Calorie counting will become second nature. You will be well on your way to achieving your desired results.
