Losing weight is not just about dieting. It is also about keeping track of calories. All you need to have is a perfect weight loss program and a controlled diet. Here is a guide to going about it. The basic premise of any diet plan is to consume less calories than you burn. Most people fail to grasp this concept and are then unhappy when they find they are not losing weight. Counting calories literally means calculating the calorific value of every food item you place in your mouth. This can be difficult to accomplish especially if you eat many meals outside your home. To make your job easier, here is a guide to developing a meal plan that suits you. In this articleCalculating your requirementsEating at regular intervalsAdding items to your mealLogging your meals Calculating your requirements The first step is to count how many calories you require in a single day. This is the energy required to sustain you during the day. It not only includes the energy for your bodys internal organs to function properly but also that required for you to successfully carry out your daily activities. Daily calorie requirements vary from person to person. It depends on age as well as your normal routine. Therefore, an individual with a desk job would obviously need fewer calories per day than one whose routine involves a lot of travelling. A weight loss plan would require you to consume fewer calories per day than you require. For example, if you need 2,500 calories per day, you would need to consume around 2,000 calories daily to experience weight loss. Eating at regular intervals Once you have decided on how many calories to consume per day, break up the total into smaller amounts. Binge eating is one of the primary reasons why people break their diets. Calculate the time required for you to start feeling hungry after you eat something. Generally, it is three hours or so. Therefore, you will most likely be consuming five meals during the day. Divide your calorie target by the number of meals you intend to have. Therefore, dividing 2,000 calories by five meals works out to each meal having 400 calories. You may change this figure slightly to suit you. For example, if one of those meals is a mid-morning snack, you could cut that to 300 calories and add the extra hundred calories to your lunch. Ideally, you should not do this on a regular basis since consuming too many calories at one time makes it difficult for you to burn later on. Adding items to your meal Once you have determined the calorific value of each meal, you can begin making a list of foods that meet your requirements. Create calorie groups and start placing foods into them. This part requires the most effort but once you are done, you will not have to do much more work later. This includes pre-packaged and ready-to-eat meals. Packaged food will usually have their calorific value specified on the pack itself. Calculate the value for meals you eat outside as well. This is especially important if you eat out on a regular basis at a particular restaurant. This also includes burgers, pizzas, etc. In addition, do not forget the beverages you consume since these contain calories as well. Logging your meals A good way of sticking to your meal plans is to log whatever you consume. Maintain a dedicated food journal. After every meal, write down whatever you have eaten and add up the calories for that meal. This will allow you to determine if you are eating according to your plan. It also informs you when you have overeaten or gone beyond your calorie limit for a specific meal. Accordingly, you can compensate for it in your next meal. Most people often give up calorie counting because it is too much work or they feel too lazy to do it. If you go about calorie counting in a methodical manner, you are more likely to stick to your weight loss plan.
Losing weight is not just about dieting. It is also about keeping track of calories. All you need to have is a perfect weight loss program and a controlled diet. Here is a guide to going about it.
The basic premise of any
diet plan is to consume less calories than you burn. Most people fail to grasp this concept and are then unhappy when they find they are not
losing weight.
Counting calories literally means calculating the calorific value of every food item you place in your mouth. This can be difficult to accomplish especially if you eat many meals outside your home. To make your job easier, here is a guide to developing a meal plan that suits you.
Calculating your requirements
The first step is to count how many calories you require in a single day. This is the energy required to sustain you during the day. It not only includes the energy for your body's internal organs to function properly but also that required for you to successfully carry out your daily activities.
Daily calorie requirements vary from person to person. It depends on age as well as your normal routine. Therefore, an individual with a desk job would obviously need fewer calories per day than one whose routine involves a lot of travelling. A
weight loss plan would require you to consume fewer calories per day than you require. For example, if you need 2,500 calories per day, you would need to consume around 2,000 calories daily to experience
weight loss.
Eating at regular intervals
Once you have decided on how many calories to consume per day, break up the total into smaller amounts. Binge eating is one of the primary reasons why people break their diets. Calculate the time required for you to start feeling hungry after you eat something. Generally, it is three hours or so. Therefore, you will most likely be consuming five meals during the day.
Divide your calorie target by the number of meals you intend to have. Therefore, dividing 2,000 calories by five meals works out to each meal having 400 calories. You may change this figure slightly to suit you. For example, if one of those meals is a mid-morning snack, you could cut that to 300 calories and add the extra hundred calories to your lunch. Ideally, you should not do this on a regular basis since consuming too many calories at one time makes it difficult for you to burn later on.
Adding items to your meal
Once you have determined the calorific value of each meal, you can begin making a list of foods that meet your requirements. Create calorie groups and start placing foods into them. This part requires the most effort but once you are done, you will not have to do much more work later. This includes pre-packaged and ready-to-eat meals. Packaged food will usually have their calorific value specified on the pack itself.
Calculate the value for meals you eat outside as well. This is especially important if you eat out on a regular basis at a particular restaurant. This also includes burgers, pizzas, etc. In addition, do not forget the beverages you consume since these contain calories as well.
Logging your meals
A good way of sticking to your meal plans is to log whatever you consume. Maintain a dedicated food journal. After every meal, write down whatever you have eaten and add up the calories for that meal. This will allow you to determine if you are eating according to your plan. It also informs you when you have overeaten or gone beyond your calorie limit for a specific meal. Accordingly, you can compensate for it in your next meal.
Most people often give up
calorie counting because it is too much work or they feel too lazy to do it. If you go about calorie counting in a methodical manner, you are more likely to stick to your weight loss plan.
