Counting Calories to Lose Weight

The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to burn more calories than you take in. There is much confusion about calories, carbs and how the body loses weight.

We measure how much energy the body expends through a unit of measurement called calories. All food sources whether carbs, protein, fat or alcohol contain calories ....  or energy.

The concept is easy. If you eat too many calories, the body stores fat. If you burn more calories through the day than you eat, the body burns it's storage of fat. This is why counting calories is so important.

You can estimate how many calories your body will burn each day by gender, size, age and weight. The average female burns between 1900 - 2200 calories per day and the average male burns between 2400 - 2600 calories each day. By counting your total calorie intake for the day, you know how much energy was consumed.

The best way to lose weight is to reduce your total calorie consumption by 25%. If you cut calories more than that, your body may go into starvation mode which will slow your metabolism and cause you to overeat.

The best way to keep track of your total calories is to buy a calorie counter book (you can buy them in the supermarket near the checkout stand for about a dollar) and use it as a guide for counting calories each day.

The trick to losing weight is to plan your meals everyday. Never eat on impulse because it's too difficult to control calorie consumption.

A better way is to simply write down foods that you would like to eat and eliminate high calorie foods such as pastries. If you're a woman, strive to eat between 1200 and 1500 calories per day to lose 1 pound each week.

If you're a guy, aim between 1600 and 2000 calories per day. By planning your meals, calorie counting is easy because you write the calorie value next to each food item that you plan to eat for the day.

If you need help developing a good diet plan, let us help. We specialize in developing personal diet plans that will help you lose 1 to 2 pounds each week. We do all the hard work by counting calories for you. Our diet plans are safe and sensible. To get started, click personal diet plan.