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I know we all think that the days of counting calories are behind us. We’ve moved on to counting Macros now instead. As a side note, the only REAL difference between the two comes down to math, but that’s not the point.
The point is that counting calories works! If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Continuously eating less calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight long term. How do you know how many calories you are eating if you don’t track them? I can’t tell you the number of people I have sat across from who insist they have tried EVERYTHING to lose weight and STILL it doesn’t work. The first question I ask them is, “how many calories are you eating each day right now?”. Only ONCE has someone been able to answer that question, and that’s a big problem.
Now I know, counting calories can be super tedious. I know that because I’ve done it. It can be hard to keep up with at first. That’s not a reason why you shouldn’t do it though. If I walked up to you and said, “Just log the food you eat and as long as it’s less calories than you need, you’ll lose weight” I hope your only response would be, “How do I log it?”
Good question!
I have 3 different means by which you can log your food. If you already know about these methods, then you are ready to start.
1: Use an App:
There are numerous apps that make tracking what you eat so very simple. You literally just have to type in the food. The top rated apps (I recommend any of them; I’ve tried them all) are as follows:
2: Keep a Food Diary/Nutrition Log:
You can get one for a few $'s Here.
And here.
And here.
3: Create A Meal/Nutrition Plan/Have One Made For You:
This is a different method than the first two because you're telling yourself what you'll be eating ahead of time instead of tracking what you already ate. If you can afford it, (you likely can, just skip the new pair of shoes this month) go see a nutritionist or a dietitian. They will be able to create an entire nutrition plan for you. If you can’t afford it, research. Google healthy foods, hop on google documents, and put it all together. Food by food, meal by meal. Put in the calories, fats, protein, carbs, etc. and total it all up. It’s EXACTLY like budgeting, but with calories instead of money.
If you stick with it, you WILL see results.