Calorie counting can be a big challenge, but knowing how to estimate the nutrient content of various foods can help you lose or maintain a consistent weight. Many people are successful in losing weight by counting how many calories they consume throughout the day.
How many calories should you get during the day?
Before starting a diet, you need to establish how many calories you need for normal functioning. This is not an easy task. You should consider your weight, height, age and daily activity level. Having learned all the necessary data, look in the special literature, which describes in detail the calorie consumption for each specific case. This will be the estimate of the number of calories needed each day. If you want to lose weight, you need to get fewer calories than you need to maintain a constant weight. In order to understand how much less, you will again have to look in a book or consult a dietitian.
Find out the calorie content of foods
Many foods are incredibly high in calories, so it's worth cutting back on portions with meals. It is also a good idea to check how many calories are in the drinks you are consuming. At first glance, the number of calories does not seem very significant. Looking at the long term, however, three calories in a glass of mineral water or energy drink can turn into a few extra grams of fat in a day. When you have all the information you need about the foods you consume, calculate how much energy you are getting in a day. To do this, calculate the approximate weight of the food. Add everything up and you have the total number of calories. Check the figure several times to make sure it is correct.
Count every serving
Most people's ability to evaluate portions of food is poor. We are so used to seeing huge portions that we consider it normal. There are some simple rules for calculating the number of calories in foods. To begin with, you should understand that all products have different densities. For example, a portion of meat weighing one hundred and fifty grams is no larger than a deck of cards. That is why it is worth knowing exactly the weight of each serving. You can use a kitchen scale for this. Weigh a plate of food on this scale before each meal and subtract the weight of the plate from the total weight. You can also find out the weight of the dishes by weighing each plate and cup separately. This data can then be simply remembered or written down and used permanently.
Junk food and desserts
Desserts are not at all what you need to eat when you are monitoring your weight. The fact is that they contain a lot of calories. A small portion of this sweet joy has an energy value of about two hundred calories. Take your time and count the calories in your favorite desserts. One extra serving can cost you an entire day of diet or gym use.
