Counting Calories

Easy Tips For You

Learn to count your calories

Do you need to know your daily calorie count as part of a weight loss plan, your weight maintenance program, a healthy lifestyle commitment, to explore a low calorie anti-aging diet, or to help keep away the dreaded belly fat?

Here are some easy calorie counting tips to help you get started on your road to a healthier life.

Counting calories tips: how to measure portion size

Remember portion size, portion size, portion size.

Every time you see a calorie count, it is based on the portion size or the amount of the food tested.

Check the nutrition label

Most prepared foods now have nutrition labels which include the calorie count per portion. For other foods, use a calorie counter chart.

When you change the portion size, be absolutely sure you have not increased it.

Remember, when you change the portion size, you always change the calorie count.


Do The Math
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Avoid portion distortion

When preparing food at home, measure portions twice.

Measure ingredients before cooking, especially with recipes that give you calories per serving.

Then measure portion size after cooking to check with calorie counters.

This is easier by keeping separate sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups near the refrigerator and/or pantry areas.

Counting calories tips: exchanging high calorie food for low calorie food

Pump up your daily diet with very low calorie foods like a variety of very low calorie green teas in delicious flavors, low calorie fruit selections, and low calorie vegetable selections added to recipes.

Discover how to make low calorie substitutions for high calorie foods. For example, instead of a creamy, sugary double latte that has 500 calories or a high calorie snack, treat yourself to a delicious new green tea at 2 calories.

Counting calories tips: keeping track of daily calories

Keep a written daily record until you have developed all the skills you need to maintain a low calorie diet with sufficient healthy nutrients for life. You simply can’t keep these totals in your head, day after day, year after year, and it is the calorie totals that count.

Try keeping a small pad of paper in your pocket with a small pencil or pen. Record the calorie totals as you eat them and keep running totals of the weeks and months to measure your progress.

If you are considering an anti-aging diet of calorie intake reduction while maintaining optimal nutrition, you must first check with your physician to monitor any prescription drugs you may be taking for a health problem. Since eating healthy may improve your health rapidly, your treatment program may also need to change accordingly. People may be able to carefully stop some medications. Also, this diet is for healthy non-pregnant adults only.