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How to Count Your Calories

Ever wondered how to count your calories or kilojoules? We’re sure you know that, unless you have a medical condition that prevents this, you need to consume less calories than you burn to lose weight.

How calories work is by giving your body the energy it needs to function during the day. Calories are just the amount of energy in your food. We all have a minimum amount of calories we need for our organs to function, called our BMR, but then you have to factor in the amount of activity you do, your age, sex and various other factors to work out the number of calories you should eat each day.

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Should I Count Calories?

Is calorie counting effective? It can be, but it’s important to know that counting calories is not needed to lose weight. Simply making healthier food choice can lead to the same and, often, even better results than being matriculate in calorie counting.

For some people, calorie counting can also lead to eating disorders due to being too restrictive in what they eat. You’re allowed to have days where you eat slightly more calories than what you’re trying to achieve. That’s called life.

Besides, not all calories are equal. Yes, you may receive 100 calories of energy whether you’re eating chocolate or carrots, but the body uses calories from different foods differently. Plus, carrots have various micronutrients your body needs that affect your hormones that control hunger and eating behaviour differently than chocolate might.

So yes, eating less food can help you lose weight, but you need to be eating the right food while doing it.

So, while it can be interesting to learn that a medium-sized egg contains 66 calories and a slice of white bread with crust is about 86 calories, you don’t need to know this to lose weight.

Is Calorie Counting Accurate?

You can use a food calorie calculator online or a calorie counting app to help you keep track of your calories, but whichever food calorie counter you use, there is a very high chance it won’t be 100% correct due to the size of your ingredients and whether you can measure everything accurately. It gives you an estimate though, which can help you with your targets.

If you’re looking for a how to count calories app, YAZIO or Calorie Counter are ones with good reviews, or you can even use SnapCalorie, which is an app that takes pictures of food to count the calories within.

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How to Count Calories to Lose Weight

If you’re wondering, ‘How do I calculate calories in my food?’ there are several ways to do so.

If you’re eating snacks or pre-prepared food, you can simply use the number of calories stated on the packaging (as long as you eat the serving size), but what about how to count calories in homemade food, with fresh ingredients?

Here are some steps to get you started:

• The apps and calculators you find generally have fresh produce listed and you can simply type in what’s going into your meals and it will add it all up for you.
• If you want to be more accurate, you can weigh the produce and adjust the data in the app so it gives you a more accurate calorie intake, but this can be time-consuming, especially when you’re trying to throw together a meal. You also may be at work and not have scales with you.
• You might want to use measuring cups for volume measurements, which can be quicker than using scales.
• Once you’ve been calorie counting for a while, you will generally be able to tell from your logging how many calories will be in foods by the size of them. If you cook 1 serving of meat all the time and know the size, you might estimate the number of calories in the meat you eat at a restaurant if it’s the same size.

This is really all it takes for how to count calories in food. You don’t need to be totally accurate, so don’t get too caught up in the numbers. Your goal is to lose weight healthily, not develop an obsession.

Overall, how to easily track calories? Use a calorie counting app: it’s easy, simple and transportable.

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How Do You Actually Count Calories – Some Tips

• Read the label: Food labels tell you recommended serving size and then the associated calories, and they can be used to input new foods into food tracking apps. When going out to eat, some restaurants tell you the number of calories for each meal, which can help you in your tracking. Many recipes you find online and in magazines provide calorie and nutritional information, too.
• Remove temptations: You shouldn’t be restricting your calorie intake to the point where you’re getting cravings, as you begin to binge eat junk food when this happens. Stick with a healthy calorie intake for your activity level and restrict junk food in your house, swapping them with healthier alternatives for times you feel a bit peckish.
• Stick with a healthy calorie intake: Following from above, don’t cut your calories too low as you will get cravings, remain hungry and be moody, which can make you less motivated to stick with your weight loss plan.
• Combine diet and exercise: When you’re losing weight, you’re often also exercising, so you will need to include calories to fuel your body when you do. This will raise your BMR and therefore your AMR which you then drop a few hundred calories from.

End Note

So, now you know the answer to ‘How do I calculate my calorie intake’?

Remember, there’s no such thing as healthy calories as a calorie is just a unit of energy. What matters is the quality of the food you’re eating, eating minimal processed food and foods that are giving you the nutrients you need and keeping you fuller for longer.

If you hate counting calories, as many of us do, simply reduce how much you eat, such as eating to 80 per cent full, or how often you eat and eat meals that are low in calories or are healthier than what you currently eat.

To get you started, you can simply keep at your current diet but just eat smaller amounts. Then, once you’re used to eating less, start switching the unhealthy foods you’re eating to healthier ones to fix the nutritional deficiencies you may have and to make you feel energetic and healthier.

Don’t rush your weight loss attempts! It’s better to use a slower approach than faster. You can also try Xandro’s Lean XP to help alongside your diet efforts in losing weight. Read the reviews here!