Introduction

In the world today, most people are trying to cut down on their weight to remain healthy and in good shape. While this may sound easy, losing weight is a challenging task to many. This is because of the temptations, risks, and sacrifices that come with it. However, this should not hinder you if you are on your way to leading a healthy lifestyle.

In this article, we discuss some of the ways that aid in losing weight, especially calories, and the guidelines to follow for better and fast results. Let’s find out the dos and don’ts of counting calories for weight loss.

What are calories?

The foods we eat play a huge role in determining our weight. That is why you will find most people sticking to a particular diet to achieve optimum weight. What you should keep in mind, if you are on the losing weight journey, is the source of your calories.

Our bodies need calories to function as they should. A calorie is like a unit that fuels the body to ensure better functioning. Therefore, it is an important entity in our bodies as we mainly depend on it to live. So, when people want to lose weight, you hear that they are cutting down on this crucial unit in the body. Do you ask yourself why?

As much as calories are essential in our bodies, too much of them cause unnecessary weight gain that is stubborn to lose. The saying too much of something is poisonous is highly manifested in the calories we ingest. That is why people work out to burn excess calories in their bodies, to stay fit and lose weight.

So, it is important to know how many calories you ingest, their sources, and also the amount you burn out while trying to lose weight. Therefore, counting the calories is essential. Calorie counting is a practice where people get to know the number of calories they consume, the remaining calories in the body to use for the day, and how much they should burn.

Counting calories seems to be easy until you put it into practice. Well, don’t worry about that because this article has your back. Today, we talk about the dos and don’ts of counting calories for excellent results and general wellbeing.

The Do’s and Don’ts on Calorie Counting

As mentioned, counting calories is one way of optimizing weight loss and should be done with utmost care to produce desired results. However, you shouldn’t put all your focus on counting calories while neglecting other essential weight losing aspects such as constant exercising. That is why we have come up with ways to improve the results of counting calories to enable you to continue engaging in other weight-losing practices.

The Don’ts of counting Calories

It is important to first know the don’ts before the do’s to avoid going astray on your weight loss journey. So, here they are. The don’ts of calorie counting.

·       Memorizing the calories might fail

You have to remember so many things during the day, and adding more numbers to the list might not be the best way. So, if you are on a strict diet that will aid in weight loss, don’t depend on your memory to keep count of the calories eaten and lost. You can simply write them down or use applications that help with counting calories. This way, you are guaranteed results while leaving your brain to concentrate on other things.

·       Avoid guesstimating

Don’t ever assume that if the amount of food is little, the number of calories goes down. That is where most people go wrong. This assumption can cause one to overeat certain types of food, thinking they have a small number of calories. In this case, measuring the food on a device that determines the caloric amount helps a great deal.

·       Don’t skip on those snacks

When losing weight, some individuals tend to think that snacks don’t play a role in adding calories to the body. This is a common mistake that has greatly lowered their expectations. Calories are counted based on everything edible that gets into our bodies. Failing to consider that will lead to poor results.

·       Don’t dwell on monitoring calories

While it is important to know every bit of calorie getting into your system, it is ideal to stick to the right nutrients. For instance, if you are losing weight and trying to maintain or improve your lean muscle, getting your calories from protein foods is the way to go.

The Do’s

To better count your calories, you need to have a lot of patience and practice. Virtually everyone who sets out on this weight loss journey finds trouble counting their calories correctly. However, with the following guidelines, you can achieve your desired results in no time.

·       Weigh and Measure

Weighing and measuring every portion of your meals is important when determining the number of calories. Here, you can use kitchen scales and measuring utensils that will aid in determining caloric intake. Solids are weighed, whereas liquids are measured to produce accurate results.

After getting the amount of food weighed and measured, it is important to write the numbers down for better tracking. As discussed earlier, getting health apps to help you track your caloric intake is most ideal. But, you can note the numbers down on a book.

·       Include all that you eat

Everything you eat contributes to the caloric count in the body. Therefore, it will be unwise to include only the major meals and omit the additional ones. These include snacks, dressings, creams, and even chewing gums and candies. Counting all the meals you ingest, except water, is essential.

·       Be Consistent

Once you start on the journey to losing weight, you should log every calorie count daily. Weekends and special occasions are often days that most individuals pause their meal diaries. It is best to write everything down as you consume for better results.

·       How many calories are there in the available foods?

Many homes follow different recipes while preparing their meals. Therefore, it is ideal to know the number of calories there are in various recipes to determine the number for each serving.

·       Follow your body weight when calculating calories burned

The number of calories one burns depends on an individual. This is because of the difference in body weight. Heavier individuals require more calories to move around and thus, burning more calories when exercising per minute.

·       Engage in the right exercise practices to measure calories out accurately

Most exercising instruments at the gym provide an approximation of the calories burned during the exercise. The equipment assumes you are using it as you should. One wrong move where you get to slow down or rest will throw you off balance and record fewer calories burned.

Conclusion

Counting your calories is a crucial aspect of losing weight, so much so that it is included in most fitness apps. Knowing the number of calories ingested and burned will help you monitor your weight to ensure excellent results. As said earlier, you invest so much time and effort into counting your calories so that the results are desirable. What’s more, you can opt for the conventional pen and paper to record your numbers or seek help from high-tech applications.